Falmer Heavy Armor (Dawnguard) is the top tier of Falmer war gear, a bulky, hooked shell of chitin plates that looks like something grown rather than made. Don’t let the homemade look fool you: helmet, cuirass, gauntlets and boots total 96 armor, exactly the same as Ebony Armor, while weighing 7 less. That puts it in late-game territory, just below Dragonplate.
How to get it
It can’t be forged, so this is a loot-only set. Dawnguard’s Falmer Warmongers wear a random mix of Heavy and Hardened pieces: a cuirass three times out of four, gauntlets and boots only about one time in four. Other Falmer – Skulkers, Gloomlurkers, Nightprowlers and Shadowmasters – can also spawn in this heavy outfit instead of their usual rags. Big Falmer warrens such as Blackreach and Alftand are worth sweeping.
Because drops are random, assembling all four pieces (the boots in particular) can take several trips. Temper with Chaurus Chitin from the local chaurus.
Is it worth wearing?
Absolutely, if you don’t mind the look. You get Ebony protection at 55 total weight without needing Ebony Smithing or a single ebony ingot. For a heavy-armor character who hasn’t sunk perks into Smithing, it’s one of the best free upgrades in the game. Matching Set and Well Fitted work with it like any heavy set, and Conditioning makes the weight vanish completely.
The catch is tempering: you won’t get a bonus from the Ebony Smithing perk line, so a dedicated smith may still squeeze more out of Daedric Armor. Its high base value also makes spare pieces nice to sell.
Good to know
- Dawnguard content; not in the base game.
- The Shellbug Helmet (Dawnguard) also counts as Falmer heavy armor, so it can replace the standard helm without breaking the Matching Set bonus.
- Strictly better than Falmer Hardened Armor: lighter and stronger.
Set pieces
| Piece | Slot | Armor | Weight | Value | ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falmer Heavy Helm | Head | 21 | 8 | 600 | 020023EB |
| Falmer Heavy Armor | Body | 43 | 35 | 1200 | 020023E9 |
| Falmer Heavy Gauntlets | Hands | 16 | 6 | 225 | 020023ED |
| Falmer Heavy Boots | Feet | 16 | 6 | 225 | 020023EF |
Full set totals
- Falmer Heavy Armor – helmet, cuirass, gauntlets and boots: 96 armor, 55 weight, 2250 gold.
Crafting and upgrades
This set can’t be forged by the player – you have to find, buy or earn the pieces.
Improve (temper) the pieces at a workbench with Chaurus Chitin.
Stats from the Skyrim game files (Skyrim.esm and the official add-ons): base armor rating, weight and value before Smithing improvements and perks. The ID is the item’s form ID for the console.